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Who really said it

Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next they say it had been discovered before. Lastly they say they always believed it

Older than Tyson — attributed to Louis Agassiz Louis Agassiz 1807–1873
Disputed Free to reuse

Not originated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. A nineteenth-century family of this saying was credited to Louis Agassiz; Quote Investigator finds strong indirect evidence, but no matching passage in Agassiz's own writings.

Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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Disputed credit — copy with the correction

“Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next they say it had been discovered before. Lastly they say they always believed it” — Nineteenth-century saying attributed to Louis Agassiz; exact original authorship unconfirmed, not originated by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to Neil deGrasse Tyson. Use the credit shown above instead.

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Free to use, including in commercial and paid presentations — no permission or licence needed.

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In context

Evoking the world of Louis Agassiz — Naturalist and geologist. Theme: "Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next they say it had been discovered before. Lastly they say they always believed it". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

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Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next they say it had been discovered before. Lastly they say they always believed it". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Tradition
Three stages of accepting scientific discoveries
Older attribution
Louis Agassiz; indirect nineteenth-century evidence
Wording
Later English formulation; not established as Agassiz's verbatim writing

Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. …

Quote Investigator: the nineteenth-century trail

How we verified this

Public domain

The English formulation is documented by Quote Investigator in nineteenth-century publications including 1870 and 1891. Those published versions predate 1931; authorship remains a separate uncertainty.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

Fact-check

Often misattributed

Tyson did not originate this older saying: the chronology ↗ documents nineteenth-century forms while qualifying the Agassiz attribution.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Later use, not origin

Tyson did not originate this older saying: the chronology ↗ documents nineteenth-century forms while qualifying the Agassiz attribution.

Not originated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. A nineteenth-century family of this saying was credited to Louis Agassiz; Quote Investigator finds strong indirect evidence, but no matching passage in Agassiz's own writings.

Context

Why it mattered

The older versions arose in arguments about accepting new scientific evidence, including the antiquity of humankind. Lyell's discussion ↗ ascribes the three-stage pattern to Agassiz and applies it to geology; Tyson's later use cannot establish modern coinage.

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Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

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Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Quote Investigator: the nineteenth-century trailquoteinvestigator.com

Traces the Agassiz attribution, including1861–1862 proceedings and later versions; notes no direct text found in Agassiz's own writings.
Lyell: The Antiquity of Manwww.gutenberg.org

The1863 text reports a three-stage saying ascribed to Agassiz, with not true, contrary to religion and everybody knew it before.
Wikiquote: Louis Agassizen.wikiquote.org

Prints the scientific truth saying under Agassiz, illustrating the older credit.
Wikiquote: Tyson's qualified useen.wikiquote.org

Records Tyson introducing a related version with It has been said, rather than claiming coinage.

The author

About Louis Agassiz

Louis Agassiz

1807–1873 · Naturalist and geologist

Louis Agassiz was a Swiss-born naturalist who worked in the United States. His scientific reputation also made his name a vehicle for a wry saying about how new discoveries are resisted and then treated as obvious.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

The primary source (Chicago)

Scientific-acceptance saying attributed to Louis Agassiz. Nineteenth-century versions traced by Quote Investigator; compare Charles Lyell, The Antiquity of Man (1863). Displayed formulation appears in later sources; not verified verbatim Agassiz.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next they say it had been discovered before. Lastly they say they always believed it’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/every-great-scientific-truth-goes-through-three-stages/

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